Chapter 13

We woke to a cold drizzle, the clouds above swollen and ominous. The wind was aggressive and nipped hard at our skin, making it seem even colder. Kelsey wouldn't look at me after she'd come back from using the bathroom, opting instead to grab the can and go hunting berries. I let her brood, figuring her mood was due in part to the rough night she'd had. Knowing Kelsey, she was probably feeling a bit embarrassed over crying like that in front of me too.

After bringing water back, I decided to go to the wreckage and start clearing a space inside. It was starting to get damned cold at night and I figured we should be prepared for having to stay in the plane. I didn't like the idea as it would make it harder to hear a plane, but we wouldn't have a choice with the plummeting temperatures. Our elevation didn't help the situation. It was probably a bit warmer down the mountain yet, but nestled in a ravine in the mountains, winter would start screaming her frigid song soon.

I had decided that we needed to wait for the snow to fly before we attempted to leave the crash site. It was the only way Kelsey would be able to make it. I would form some kind of sled out of the fiberglass pieces on the plane and pull her behind me. She was mobile enough on her crutches, but there would be no way we cover any real distance with her inhibited that way. Not to mention, the terrain was likely to be rougher than she'd be able to maneuver.  I wasn't looking forward to the climb out or the miles to follow. It would likely be agonizing with my wounded ribs, but it was our only shot.

After I'd cleared a spot for us in the wreckage, I ventured out to check the snares. I had decided I would need to set more traps as the temperatures dropped and kept away the likelihood of food poisoning. Once we started to travel, food was going to be a real issue...the more we could gather to pack with, the better. A mink had found it's way into one of the traps, and I cleaned it quickly. A rabbit would have made for larger fare, but after a few solid says of berries and the occasional frog, it would be a welcome treat. I hoped it would raise Kelsey's spirits, too.  

I hurried back to camp, wanting to get the meat cooked before the rain decided to dampen the fire. Kelsey had moved the wood into the lean-to keep it dry, and was curled up on the sleeping bag. She had her back facing the fire, so I couldn't tell if she was sleeping or not. I didn't say anything, putting the mink on the fire to roast.

An eagle cried overhead, it's call echoing in the quiet of the valley. It was amazing how small the quiet could make you feel...like you were truly the only soul left on earth. With the snow-capped peaks of the mountains towering all around us, I suddenly felt very, very small. I was used to the wilds, it was part of my job, after all...but being lost here was just so different. I had never imagined I'd have to use my survival training, but was fiercely glad I'd had it.

I had also never thought someone else would ever be dependent on me for survival. The responsibility weighed on me heavily, maybe even more so because it was Kelsey that was the one depending on me. She was so entirely trusting of my abilities and had such unquestioning faith in my knowledge of the outdoors...honestly, I didn't feel like I deserved all that. I was terrified of letting her down or of making a decision that would get her hurt. I worried about her more than I liked to admit. I had come to realize that Kelsey had a way of effecting me that was more than a little unsettling, mostly because it wasn't something I'd experienced before. I didn't know what to make of it, but the more I thought on it, the more unnerved I became, so I pushed it from my mind.

When the mink was cooked, I took it to the lean-to and sat down beside Kelsey. "Kels? You awake?"

I must have woke her, because she started a little. She turned, blinking over her shoulder at me. Her eyes were puffy, making me think she'd been crying again before she fell asleep. "Hey." She smiled a little as she shifted to sit up. "Sorry I fell asleep."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's Saturday." I shrugged. "Or Monday. Maybe even Tuesday. Point is, we've got nowhere we've got to be."

She flashed a wider smile, and I even got a little chuckle out of her. "True. But still, I could have been doing something productive." She rubbed at her eyes, then sniffed. "Did you catch something? I smell meat."

I held up the cooked mink. "You better believe it, woman. Woodland creatures shiver in fear when I walk by." I proclaimed with a wink.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I don't know if I'd go that far...but I'll admit, you've got skill." Picking off a piece of the meat, she popped it into her mouth.

"Decent?" I had never tried mink, but I had a feeling there was a reason they were farmed for their fur rather than their meat.

She shrugged. "It's not bad. I'm not exactly picky anymore."

"You've got a point. Me either." I dug in. It really wasn't bad, but I thought frog was better.

"Thanks for last night, Mauston. I'm sorry I've been so upset. I just miss my family so much...it kills me to not know if my father is alive or dead, or if my sister's okay." She reached over and patted the back of my hand. "You helped a lot."

I wrapped my hand around hers and gave it a squeeze. "Don't mention it. We're in this thing together."

She squeezed back, and I thought I saw the first flames of determination starting to burn in her gaze. Maybe she was ready to fight after all.

************

A ear-piercing scream had us both bolting upright in the pressing darkness.

We hadn't had a choice but to sleep in the plane...the skies had opened up that evening and the cold rain had been torrential. Thunder had rolled and lightening had flashed, recreating the scene from the night we'd crashed.  I could still hear the rain on the roof and the thunder growling...but the scream drowned it out when it pierced the air again.

"Someone's screaming!' Kelsey whispered, clutching my forearm tightly. "Oh my God, someone's out there! A woman!"

"Shhh for a sec." I waited breathlessly until that horrible scream sounded for the third time.

S**t.

"No, it's not a woman. It's not even human." I peered at her in the darkness. "It's a cougar. A mountain lion."

"It sounds so close!" She gasped.

"That's because it is. Just past the lean-to, I think." I didn't want to worry her, but having a cougar come into camp was enough to even get me alarmed. A grown man didn't stand a chance against one, let alone someone Kelsey's size who was injured to boot.

"What do we do?" There she went with that trust thing again.

"Nothing for tonight. We'll have to be careful from now on though, just in case. Those cats are stealthy hunters. When I go to check the snares or get water, you'll have to come in here. I don't want you out in the open." I laid back as thunder cracked overhead.

Kelsey shivered and laid back down next to me. "I wish we had a gun." She said softly.

"We did. I kept a shotgun on the plane. I never found it after the crash." I was listening to the mountain lion, but the only sound from outside was the storm. Maybe the cat had moved on. I hoped so.

Kelsey shifted a little closer, and I could feel that she was trembling. "It's okay, Kels. It can't get us in here."

"No, it's not the cat. It's just cold." She snuggled closer to me, surprisingly nuzzling her way under my arm so that she could lay her head on my shoulder. "And you're warm."

I swallowed hard. Absurdly, I could feel my body stirring to the unexpected closeness. Appalled at the realization, I struggled to distract myself from the feel of her body curved against mine. It was far different than it had been the night before, when she'd been so upset. I'd been too worried about her to think of much else. Now, it seemed like every nerve in my body was completely in tune to her.

"It's a little warmer in here than it was in the lean-to." I mumbled, shifting a little in hopes she'd pull away some. No such luck...if anything, she snuggled closer.

"A little, I guess." She yawned. "I'll be honest. You're not just warm. You're safe." Her words were slurred with sleepiness, but the meaning wasn't lost one me. I made her feel safe. Wow, did I ever feel like an a*s for laying there with a hard-on when she was trying to salvage what little comfort she could from my presence. I wondered if she'd feel differently if she knew.

"So are you." I told her gently; and then, impulsively I brushed my lips against the cool flesh of her forehead. I'm not sure if she even felt it, because seconds later she was breathing with the heaviness only someone in slumber can achieve. I stared into the darkness towards the twisted metal of the plane's ceiling for a long while, knowing it would be even longer before sleep came for me. I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me, but one thing was for sure: I'd be keeping some distance between Kelsey and I til I figured it out.